Flavored shaved ice machine



Nov. 15, 1966 H. 1.. HORNSTEIN 3,285,198

FLAVORED SHAVED ICE MACHINE Filed Oct. 5, 963

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III. 7 llllllmi POWER SOURCE i COIN COLLECTOR MOTOR AND 20 SWITCH W v 12 so FLA K ER r DELAY AND GEAR DISPENSER Box l 301 I 40 I I w v 2 I FLAVOR I SELECTOR CUP I AND I DISPENSER DISPENSER l/ I l J INVENTOR. 50 v I 42 V a HERBERT L. HORNSTEIN ROTATABLE v 1 BY CUPR P Z Y, HOLDE w ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,285,198 FLAVORED SHAVED ICE MACHINE Herbert L. Hornstein, Philadelphia, Pa. (314 Cranford Road, Woodcrest, NJ.) Filed Oct. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 313,531 4 Claims. (Cl. 107-1) This invention relates to a machine for automatically making and dispensing the edible product known as a snow ball or water ice. More precisely, it relates to a machine for making and dispensing flavored shaved ice in a cup. In normal use, the machine would be of the coin-operated vending machine type and would dispense one cup of product on each operation.

In certain sections of the country, during the warm months, it is common for vendors to shave or scrape a cake of ice so that thin flakes or slivers are obtained. The vendor puts a scoop of this shaved or flaked ice into a paper cup. He then pours a liquid flavoring as selected by the customer on top of the ice, attempting to distribute this more or less evenly over the surface. This product, known popularly as a snow ball or as water ice, must preferably be prepared before eating. As it is now prepared, the presence of an operator is required and manual steps are necessary. The product is, of course, only available when the individual vendor or operator is present.

It is an object of this invention to provide an automatic flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser.

It is an object of this invention to provide an automatic machine to flake ice, provide a paper cup, load the ice into the paper cup, provide a choice of liquid flavoring agents, and to selectively deposit one or more of these liquid flavoring agents onto the ice in a generally uniform manner.

It is yet another object of this invention to provide a flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser which makes flaked ice and loads it intoa paper cup, rotates the loaded cup in a holder, and adds liquid flavoring, the rotation of the cup taking place during the addition of the flavoring to distribute the flavoring evenly over the surface of the ice.

Other aims and objects of this invention are made apparent in the following specification and claims.

The invention is best understood in connection with the following drawings in which like reference numerals refer to like parts and in which:

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the machine;

FIGURE 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional interrelationships of the elements of the complete machine.

The present invention is a combination in which several of the important elements are in themselves well known and fully developed mechanisms, often described and freely available as commercial units.

The invention is best initially understood in connection with FIGURE 2, which shows the relationship of various elements of what is in practice a complex machine. One element of the combination is an ice flaker and dispenser 20. Such mechanisms in themselves are well known and are disclosed for example in United States Patents 2,724,- 949, 2,812,644, and 2,542,892. Power to operate the flaker 20 is provided by motor 10, which is shown operatively mechanically connected to the flaker by the broken line in FIGURE 2.

Power for motor is provided from power source 60, which in ordinary use may be a standard 110-volt A.C. electric power source. In normal commercial use, the machine is a coin-operated vending machine, and the power source 60 is operatively connected to the motor 10 and to other units as are described below, through a coinoperated switch 70. When the proper coin is deposited,

"ice

or some other control is operated, the machine operates to dispense the flavored snow ball as is described in more detail below. Such coin-operated switches are well known in the art and are incorporated in many vending machines. The operation of the power circuit first acts to dispense a cup from cup dispenser 40 into the cup holder 50. The ice flaker 20 then loads the cup with shaved or flaked ice. The flavor selector and dispenser 30 then operates to distribute a measured quantity of liquid flavoring material to the surface of the ice in the cup. A choice of flavors are preferably provided, so that by operating the appropriate control in flavor selector and dispenser 30, the desired flavor is dispensed. A delay circuit is provided so that the steps will take place in the proper sequence. For example, an important required delay is that which holds the dispensing of the flavor until the ice is in the cup.

For reasons described more fully elsewhere, the cup holder 50 rotates cup 42, and this mechanical rotation is preferably provided from motor 10 which operates through gear box or gear reducer 12.

Flavor selectors and dispensers as individual independent units are well known in the coin-operated field, and typical mechanisms are shown for example in United States Patents 2,880,912, 2,685,952, and 2,776,074. These and other patents also disclose well known mechanisms for dispensing cups. The cited patents are typical of many which show suitable refrigeration equipment which is incorporated in the ice flaker and dispenser 20 and constantly operates to provide a supply of solid ice. A shaving or flaking mechanism may operate only when the coin switch is activated, or may produce a measured quantity of shaved ice which is stored under suitable conditions of temperature, and is dispensed through the operation of the motor 10, or other dispensing means. In the embodiment illustrated, the operation of motor 10 when coin switch 70 is activated shaves or flakes the ice only when immediately required.

The specific structure of the element of the combination which is in itself new is better shown in FIGURE 1. The

cup dispenser 40 is provided with a plurality of cups 42.

These cups descend by means of slide 41 when the releasing mechanism is operated.

A flavor dispenser 30 is provided with a plurality of containers having different flavors, each of these contain-.

ers being connected with a dispensing line 31. Thus, when the flavor selection mechanism in unit 30 is operated, the appropriate liquid flavoring agent flows down its dispensing line 31.

The motor 10 drives a motor shaft 15, on which is mounted a motor pulley 17. By means of belt 18, shaver pulley 16 is driven, which in turn rotates shaver shaft 19. As has been described above, when motor 10 operates, the shaving function takes place in unit 20, and shaved ice drops through its ice dispensing channel in the direction indicated by the arrow. This ice falls into the cup 42 which has been deposited from dispenser 40 in cup holder 50.

Cup holder 50 comprises a base 52 and a turntable 51. Turntable 51 is provided with a recess in the center thereof to receive and hold upright the paper cup 42, as is shown in FIGURE 1 and it is obvious that as the turntable turns, the cup holder 50 and the recess rotate about their own vertical axes. Motor 10 is connected by means of gear box or gear reducer 12 to a drive shaft 14. The gear reducer 12 reduces the rotational speed, so that friction wheel 11 which is operatively attached to drive shaft 14 rotates at a lower speed than does the motor. Friction wheel 11 runs against the edge of turntable 51, and rotates it. As clearly shown in FIGURE 1, the cup holder 50 is directly under and centered beneath the exit from the ice maker and shaver 20.

The ice having fallen into cup 42 piles into a scoop or mound 25. When a suflicient quantity of ice has been so deposited, the flavor dispensing mechanism 30 is actuated, and the appropriate flavoring agent runs through line 31 and falls onto the ice mound 25. The broken dotted lines show the direction of the flavoring agents fall. Since the exits from lines 31 are spaced away from the center of cup 42, the rotation of cup 42 will cause the agent to be deposited more or less evenly over the surface of the ice mound 25 in the accepted manner for flavoring this product. After this stage, the product may then properly be called a snow ball or water ice 25. The purchaser or other user, having waited until the fall of flavoring agent stops, removes the cup from cup holder 50.

It is not the intention of this invention to disclose any novel mechanism in the cup dispenser, freezer, shaver, flavoring dispenser, the coin switch or the electrical and mechanical connections. These units and their connections, as well as the ways in which they may be mounted into cabinets and programmed are all well known in the art. It is understood furthermore that the mechanical showing illustrated in FIGURE 1 is somewhat schematic, but is workable.

The essence of this invention is believed to lie in the combination of the elements as described above, and in their connection with the cup rotating means, and also in the cup rotating means itself. It is understood that individual driving mechanisms may be used for the cup rotating means, instead of having the same motor operate several units.

The scope of this invention is to be determined by the appended claims, and is not to be limited by the foregoing description and drawings which are illustrative.

I claim:

1. A flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser comprising an ice maker and shaver, a supply of liquid flavoring agent, a cup dispenser, a cup holder, means to actuate said cup dispenser to discharge a cup into said cup holder, said cup holder being positioned directly centered below said ice maker and shaver, said flavoring agent supply being connected to a dispensing line, said dispensing line terminating above said cup, and means to rotate said cup holder only around its own vertical axis and continuously while said dispensing line and said ice shaver are operating, said cup holder comprising a base, a turntable mounted for rotation in said base, said turntable having a recess at the center thereof to receive a cup, and said turntable having an edge, and said means to rotate said cup holder comprising a friction wheel bearing against said edge, and means to rotate said friction wheel.

2. A flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser as set forth in claim 1 wherein there are a plurality of said liquid flavoring agent supplies, each of said supplies being connected to a separate dispensing line, each of said dispensing lines terminating above said cup holder.

3. A flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser as set forth in claim 2 wherein each of said dispensing line terminations are positioned above said cup outwardly from the center of said cup.

4. A flavored shaved ice maker and dispenser as set forth in claim 3 wherein a motor is provided to operate said shaver, said motor also being operatively connected to said friction wheel to rotate said cup holder.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,984,059 5/ 1961 Hollingsworth 53-123 3,142,267 7/1964 Shofer 1O71 3,203,365 8/1965 Bowe et al 107--1 WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner.

I. SHEA, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FLAVORED SHAVED ICE MAKER AND DISPENSER COMPRISING AN ICE MAKER AND SHAVER, A SUPPLY OF LIQUID FLAVORING AGENT, A CUP DISPENSER, A CUP HOLDER, MEANS TO ACTUATE SAID CUP DISPENSER TO DISCHARGE A CUP INTO SAID CUP HOLDER, SAID CUP HOLDER BEING POSITIONED DIRECTLY CENTERED BELOW SAID ICE MAKER AND SHAVER, SAID FLAVORING AGENT SUPPLY BEING CONNECTED TO A DISPENSING LINE, SAID DISPENSING LINE TERMINATING ABOVE SAID CUP, AND MEANS TO ROTATE SAID CUP HOLDER ONLY AROUND ITS OWN VERTICAL AXIS AND CONTINUOUSLY WHILE SAID DISPENSING LINE AND SAID INCE SHAVER ARE OPERATING, SAID CUP HOLDER COMPRISING A BASE, A TURNTABLE MOUNTED FOR ROTATION IN SAID BASE, SAID TURNTABLE HAVING A RECESS AT THE CENTER THEREOF TO RECEIVE A CUP, AND SAID TURNTABLE HAVING AN EDGE, AND SAID MEANS TO ROTATE SAID CUP HOLDER COMPRISING A FRICTION WHEEL BEARING AGAINST SAID EDGE, AND MEANS TO ROTATE SAID FRICTION WHEEL. 